Brunnera plant named ‘Silver Charm’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct form of  Brunnera macrophylla  characterized by heart-shaped, green leaves with a strong silver white veil and green veins, short stems of sky blue flowers, a fast growing, dense compact habit that forms many crowns quickly and grows to a medium size plant, and excellent vigor.

Botanical denomination: Brunnera macrophylla.

Variety designation: ‘Silver Charm’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Brunnera macrophylla, given the name, ‘Silver Charm’. Brunnera is in the family Boraginaceae. This new cultivar was found in a private garden in Minsk, Belarus.

This plant exhibits the following characteristics that make it unique:

-   -   1. heart-shaped, green leaves with a strong silver white veil         and green veins,     -   2. short stems of sky blue flowers,     -   3. a fast growing, dense compact habit that forms many crowns         quickly and grows to a medium size plant, and     -   4. excellent vigor.

This plant is unique in its combination of intense silver veiling of the leaves and the very large leaf and plant size.

Compared to Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,859), the new cultivar is faster growing and forms more crowns faster. The new cultivar has a smaller leaf that is usually narrower and more heart-shaped rather than saggitate.

Compared to Brunnera ‘Langtrees’, an unpatented plant, the new cultivar has a stronger and larger white veil over the leaf and leaves that are narrower and more heart-shaped rather than saggitate.

The new variety has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (division and micropropagation). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by division and micropropagation as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an 18-month-old Brunnera ‘Silver Charm’ growing in the field in flower in late March in Canby, Oreg.

FIG. 2 shows a 9-month-old Brunnera ‘Silver Charm’ growing in the field in summer in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Brunnera cultivar based on observations of two-year-old specimens in flower grown growing outside in the field trials in Canby, Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95° F. in August to an average of 32° F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 5^(th) edition, 2007.

-   Plant:     -   -   Form.—Rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial.         -   Cold hardiness.—USDA Zone 3-8.         -   Size.—Grows to 31 cm wide and 20 cm high.         -   Stem.—Rosette.         -   Vigor.—Excellent. -   Leaf:     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Arrangement.—Basal.         -   Shape.—Cordate to broadly ovate.         -   Venation.—Pinnate, Green 137B on top and Yellow Green 147C             on the bottom side.         -   Margins.—Entire, slightly undulate.         -   Apex.—Acuminate.         -   Base.—Cordate.         -   Blade size.—Grows to 11 cm long and 9 cm wide.         -   Surface texture.—Coarsely pubescent on both sides.         -   Petiole description.—Grows to 18.5 cm long and 5 mm wide,             coarsely pubescent, Yellow Green 147C darkening to Greyed             Purple 187A at base.         -   Leaf color.—Topside Green 137B on margins and veins with             white interveinally, White NN155C, bottom side between Green             137B and 138B. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Type.—Terminal panicle.         -   Number of flowers.—About 100 to 150 per panicle.         -   Peduncle.—Grows 16 cm to 27 cm tall and 4 mm wide,             pubescent, closest to Yellow Green 155C tinted Greyed Purple             187A, with about 9 to 11 small petiolate to sessile leaves             (grows to 40 mm long and 1.6 mm wide, ovate, entire and             slightly undulate, tip acute, base truncate to attenuate,             pubescent on both sides, topside Green 137B with slight             interveinal silvering, White NN155C, bottom side between             Green 137B and 138B).         -   Pedicel.—2 mm long, less than 1 mm wide, pubescent, Yellow             Green 144A tinted Greyed Purple 187A in high light.         -   Bloom period.—April to June in Canby, Oreg. -   Flower bud:     -   -   Size.—2 mm wide and 3 mm deep.         -   Description.—Orbicular.         -   Surface texture.—Glabrous.         -   Color.—Violet Purple 91A. -   Flower:     -   -   Type.—Regular.         -   Shape.—Rotate.         -   Corolla description.—7 mm wide and 2 mm deep, top side             colored Blue 101B with a White NN155C eye, bottom side Blue             100C; with 5 obovate lobes, each 2 mm wide and 2 mm deep,             margin entire, tip obtuse, base attenuate, glabrous on both             sides, tube 1 mm long and 1 mm wide, Blue 100D outside.         -   Calyx description.—Campanulate, 1 mm wide and 1.5 mm deep,             5-lobed, lobes cut to ⅔ down, ovate, acute, entire,             pubescent outside, glabrous inside, Yellow Green 144A.         -   Pistil description.—1, 1 mm long, Yellow Green 144A, ovary 4             lobed and about 0.5 mm long, style and stigma 0.5 mm long.         -   Stamen description.—5, filaments 1 mm long and White 155D,             anthers 1 mm long and Black 202A, pollen White 155A.         -   Fragrance.—None.         -   Lastingness.—A spike blooms for about 3 weeks on the plant. -   Seed: Nutlets, round, less than 1 mm in size, Brown 200A. -   Pests and diseases: ‘Silver Charm’ no major pests or disease     problems. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Brunnera plant substantially as illustrated and described. 